Tag Archives: Chinese New Year
Chinese Public Holidays Posted by sasha on Dec 7, 2012
As an American living and working in China, now is the time of the year that I get the most homesick. On Thanksgiving, I miss Grandma’s cooking, the big family dinner, and of course, American football. While Christmas in Beijing isn’t so bad – thanks mostly in part to the drunken shenanigans of the annual…
Spring Festival Superstitions and Traditions Posted by sasha on Jan 21, 2012
When the Spring Festival rolls around, there’s a lot to be done. As this festival lasts for 15 days, there’s something different for each day, and preparations for the celebration begin weeks before the actual festival. Let’s learn about some of the superstitions and traditions associated with the most important Chinese holiday. Superstitions Leading up…
Spring Festival – Part Three Posted by sasha on Feb 6, 2011
For the third and final post on Spring Festival, we’re going to look at some of the traditions and customs of the first few days of the New Year. As I mentioned in Part One, we are now in the year of the rabbit, having said 再见 to 2010 and the year of the tiger…
Red Envelopes 红包 (hóng bāo) Posted by Stephen on Feb 4, 2011
The Red Envelope or 红包 (hóng bāo) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions, especially during the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. During the Lunar New Year, red envelopes are typically given…
Spring Festival – Part One Posted by sasha on Feb 2, 2011
It’s that time of the year again – time for the most important Chinese holiday of them all – the Spring Festival (春节 – chūn jié). Also known around the world as Chinese New Year (农历新年 – nóng lì xīn nián), this holiday begins on the first day of the first month (正月 – zhēng…